Quincy Jones Can’t Get Used To Lil Wayne’s Music

Famous producer and composer Quincy Jones finds it a little difficult to get used to the music that is considered pop. Jones, who’s worked with almost every Black music icon since the 1950s, had a lot to say when he was asked how the pop artists of today compare to the ones of his time.

Jones was interviewed by The National where he shared his opinion on the comparison of music from his era and now. “When you come from the era of Ray Charles, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, it gets hard to get used to Lil Wayne. I just can’t handle it. There are some good singers out there. Mary J Blige can sing, so can Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera. I know who they are. I also know who they aren’t, too,” Jones said.

It’s not just Weezy’s music Quincy Jones has a problem with, It’s any music that’s created just to sell something.

“Music has gone so far down lately because everyone is going after the money,” he stated. “People are making songs to sell all sorts of things such as tires, clothes and alcohol. When you go after the money, God walks out of the room, trust me. I never went out after the fame and money. I was just doing what I loved and the money came. You gotta do what you love and really believe in it because that is your truth. I plan to stay like that.”

1. Rock Hall Jazz on Film Exhibit

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2. St. Louis Blues, 1929 RKO/Sack Amusements FREE Screening (one of several shorts), Feb. 26th, 7:30pm, Rock Hall - This sixteen-minute short film shot in Astoria, Queens, New York City, is blues singer Bessie Smith’s only screen role. In it, she plays a long-suffering wife of an uncaring gambler. Co-produced by W.C. Handy, author of the title song, the film also features Isabelle Washington (sister of actress Fredi Washington) who plays the “other woman.” Pianist James P. Johnson and the Hall Johnson Choir accompanied Smith and added to the overwhelming pathos of her singing, making this dramatized interpretation of the blues a true film classic.

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3. Rock-n-Roll Revue

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4. Listen Up The Lives of Quincy Jones

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5. Caldonia

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6. Cabin In The Sky

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Continue reading Best of Rock Hall Jazz on Film Exhibit [PHOTOS]

Best of Rock Hall Jazz on Film Exhibit [PHOTOS]

JAMMIN’ JAZZIN’ and JIVIN’: JAZZ ON FILM
Exhibition of classic film posters now at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
In 1927, the success of Warner Bros.’ The Jazz Singer, the ﬁrst so-called “all-talkie feature,” launched not only the “sound era,” but also initiated a three decade period during which some of the greatest names in jazz music – Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman – appeared on ﬁlm.
After major ﬁlm studios began exploiting the popularity of jazz, both black and white independent ﬁlm producers began the production of black cast ﬁlms, intended for distribution to theaters catering to black audiences. However, due to the method of distribution, the ﬁlms themselves have often become lost over time and, in these cases, the paper promotional materials are the only evidence we have of their production and release.
Concern for detail, often striking use of color, stylized presentation of the ﬁlm’s content, and use (or avoidance) of the racial and ethnic stereotypes of the period make these posters worthy of our critical study, appraisal and appreciation.
Three nights of film screenings will take place at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland this month, in celebration of Black History Month. FREE with a reservation. Visit www.rockhall.com to RSVP.